Lara Pilutti

Lara Pilutti is an Associate Professor in the Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa. She holds a Ph.D. in Kinesiology from McMaster University and dual B.Sc. (Biology) and B.P.H.E. (Physical and Health Education) degrees from Queen’s University. Her career includes a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and prior academic roles at the UIUC Department of Kinesiology and Community Health.

Her research focuses on exercise interventions for neurological disorders, particularly multiple sclerosis (MS). Key areas include mobility impairment management, comorbid health conditions, and adapted rehabilitation approaches. The Clinical Exercise Physiology Lab, led by Pilutti, investigates exercise benefits for MS patients, emphasizing accessibility and disability management.

Recent work explores physical activity patterns in advanced MS, caregiver resilience, and virtual reality applications in long-term care. Her publications (2023–2025) highlight systematic reviews on exercise safety, meta-analyses of body composition, and intervention studies on dyadic physical activity programs.

Pilutti collaborates on international initiatives like the MoXFo program to standardize MS exercise research. Her lab actively engages in interdisciplinary projects, including developing digital tools for caregiver support and refining outcome measures aligned with the ICF Framework.